The Empire State Building has been awarded LEED® Gold for Existing Buildings certification as further recognition from the $550 million Empire State ReBuilding program. The Empire State Building is the tallest and most well known building in the U.S. to receive LEED certification.

The 2.85 million-square-foot building is celebrating its 80th anniversary while nearing completion of its renewal and repurposing to meet the needs of 21st Century businesses. It is one of a small number of National Historic Landmarks to earn the designation, which was established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

The announcement was made jointly by Anthony Malkin, Empire State Building Company; Dana Robbins Schneider, vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle, program manager of the energy retrofit, LEED feasibility assessment and application process; and Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC.

The improvements also reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 105,000 metric tons over 15 years. In January 2011, Malkin agreed to buy carbon offsets totalling 55 million kilowatt hours per year of renewable energy, making the Empire State Building carbon-neutral.

“When it was built, the Empire State Building instantly became an icon of its era. Now, due to this remarkable investment in energy efficiency, the Empire State Building will be an icon of the 21st century as well, leading our current era in the retrofitting and upgrading of existing buildings to meet modern energy conditions,” said David Bragdon, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability.

“By earning LEED Gold, the Empire State Building has sent a powerful message that green buildings don’t have to be new – even the most iconic, historic buildings, as grand in scale as in reputation, can be among the most high-performing, energy-efficient, green buildings,” Fedrizzi said. “The leadership exhibited by Tony Malkin, and everyone involved in this project is monumental and should be applauded.”

The Empire State Building ownership directed that sustainable practices be at the center of new operations and upgrades as part of the Empire State ReBuilding program. Low environmental impact operations procedures were put in place immediately following the transition of the day-to-day operations of the building from Helmsley-Spear to Malkin Holdings, supervisor of building owner Empire State Building Company. After the energy efficiency retrofit program was developed and its implementation was underway, Jones Lang LaSalle led a separate study of the feasibility of LEED certification. This Empire State Building Achieves LEED Gold feasibility study showed that LEED Gold certification was within reach at an incremental cost of about $0.25 per square foot.

Beyond energy efficiency, activities at the Empire State Building which helped achieve LEED Gold certification include:

• Installation of ultra low-flow fixtures in the building’s restrooms
• Use of green cleaning supplies and pest control products
• Recycling of tenant waste and construction debris
• Use of recycled paper products
• Use of recycled content carpets, low off-gassing wall coverings, paints, and adhesives
• A program of tenant engagement, including submetering, a newly created Tenant Energy
• Management System, and mandatory green requirements in lease agreements.

In addition to the Empire State Building receiving LEED Gold certification, the USGBC has notified Empire State Building Company and Jones Lang LaSalle that a 3,500-square-foot pre-built space on the 42nd floor has been certified Platinum under the LEED for Commercial Interiors rating system. Jones Lang LaSalle built out the space in accordance with the building’s interior design guidelines in order to demonstrate the cost and energy savings to tenants and prospects. The northward-facing space with views to the east and west is a key stop on leasing tours of the building, and is also available for lease to a tenant with immediate move-in needs.

 
Related Articles:

• Fairmont Reduces CO2 Emissions By 8.4%
• GBTA Acquires ITM’s Project Icarus to Create Travel Industry’s First Global Sustainability Program
• Saving Green by Going Green
• AMR – Socially Responsible Meetings & Incentives Announces Partnership with 1% for the Planet

Welcome To The City

Leaders of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the PCMA Education Foundation joined with members to share 2011 accomplishments and discuss plans for the future at the organization’s first ever Town Hall Meeting on January 11th at PCMA’s 2012 annual meeting, Convening Leaders, in San Diego.

“PCMA is coming off a successful year, and a very successful annual meeting,” said Deborah Sexton, PCMA President and CEO. “But we must continue taking risks on behalf of our members, we must continue to seek out innovation, and we must continue to be a leader in the meetings, conventions, events and trade show industries.”

Outgoing PCMA Chairman of the Board Susan Katz – Director of Corporate Events and Travel for True Value Company — reported that a record number of planners were in attendance at Convening Leaders and that attendance was very strong. (Final numbers will be available in the coming weeks.)

Leaders of PCMA & PCMA Education Foundation Share 2011 Accomplishments and Discuss Future Direction with Members

Other highlights from 2011 included: positive membership trends (a record number of members – 6,400 and a retention rate of 83%), a strategic investment in the Virtual Edge Institute to accelerate the development of education and standards for virtual events, the creation of a New Professionals Task Force to engage new or younger professionals in PCMA, efforts to help connect domestic and international planners and suppliers, and the development of virtual events and social media to expand the organization’s reach.

“From the risks we take for our members to the research we support and the trends we set for the industry, PCMA will remain a leading force in the convention and meetings industry community,” said Incoming PCMA Chairman of the Board Kent Allaway, CEM, CMP – Vice President, Meetings and Trade Shows for the Produce Marketing Association.

In the coming year, Allaway said his areas of focus will include embracing digital delivery vehicles that will help members learn and connect, extending the PCMA brand and its offerings to the global community, and developing targeted programs and tools to serve members in specialized niches.

Outgoing Chairman of the PCMA Education Foundation Board of Trustees Dave Olender – Chief Operating Officer of bxb – reported that despite the challenging economic environment, the Foundation met or exceeded all of its fundraising goals in 2011. Each year the Foundation aims to fund at least $200,000 in grants and scholarships. This year the Foundation met that goal and was also able to fund an important study, The Future of Tradeshows. Another highlight from 2011 was the launch of a planned giving campaign.

“I think we’ve done very well in light of the economy in the last few years, and have been very wise in how we’ve managed our money,” said Incoming Foundation Chair Liz Erikson, Executive Director of Meetings and Incentives for Fairmont-Raffles-Swissotel. “Yet I want to make sure that all of members truly understand the impact of what the Foundation does.”

Erikson said her goals for 2012 include better communicating the Foundation’s activities and goals, creating a long-term strategic plan for the Foundation (three years versus the typical one), and further developing the planned giving campaign launched last year.

“The Town Hall Meeting was a new method for joining in conversation with our members about where the organization is at, and where we think it could go,” said Sexton. “We really take their feedback to heart.”

Related Articles:

• WTTC.org Launches 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
• Incentive Research Foundation Survey Says: Economy Impacting Incentive Travel Trends
• Total Travel Management Compensation Up 5% Over 2010

Welcome To The City

The DMC Network, announced recently that 9 of its North American companies were selected as finalists for Achievement Awards in 11 out of 12 categories and two DMC Network individuals were also selected as finalists for the Recognition Awards categories.

Award winners will be announced Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the Annual ADME Conference Gala at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Finalists from the DMC Network include:

Innovative Events

Under $50,000

• ACCENT on Arrangements, Inc., a DMC Network Company, New Orleans, LA USA

$50,001 – $100,000

• Accent on Indianapolis, a DMC Network Company, Indianapolis, IN USA
• Chicago Travel Consultants, Inc., a DMC Network Company, Chicago, IL USA

$100,001 – $200,000

• Congress Canada, a DMC Network Company, Toronto, ON Canada
• Destination St. Louis, Inc., a DMC Network Company, St. Louis, MO USA

Creative Events

Best Destination Marketing

• Accent on Indianapolis, a DMC Network Company, Indianapolis, IN USA

Best Public Entry

• Capitol Services, Inc., a DMC Network Company, Washington, DC USA
• Destination St. Louis, Inc., a DMC Network Company, St. Louis, MO USA

Best Teambuilding

• ACCENT on Arrangements, Inc., a DMC Network Company, New Orleans, LA USA
• Ultimate Ventures, a DMC Network Company, Dallas, TX USA

Best Tour

• Arrangers DMC, a DMC Network Company, Denver, CO USA
• Ultimate Ventures, a DMC Network Company, Dallas, TX USA

Best Transportation Logistics

• Destination St. Louis, Inc., a DMC Network Company, St. Louis, MO USA

Best Overall Program

• Capitol Services, Inc., a DMC Network Company, Washington, DC USA

Destination Management Rising Star

• Sarah Hines, DMCP, Accent on Indianapolis, a DMC Network Company, Indianapolis, IN USA

Destination Management Professional of the Year

• Fabienne Hanks, DMCP, CMP, 360 Destination Group, a DMC Network Company, Southern California, CA USA

For an entire list of nominees please visit:   ADME 2012 ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Congratulations to all our colleagues for being nominated and good luck to everyone.

Related Articles:

• MCI, an Event Management Company, Builds Presence in North America
• Hosts Global Alliance, an Event Management Company, Continues Expansion
• New APEX Tool for RFPs Now Available

Welcome To The City

The majority of travel buyers (62%) are satisfied with their salaries, with average total compensation climbing five percent this year to $101,736 according to findings released today from the GBTA Foundation’s annual 2011 Travel Management Compensation and Benefits Survey.  Based on the responses of 255 corporate travel and meetings managers working in the U.S. and Canada, a large majority of travel managers (71%) also noted their travel departments haven’t seen job cuts related to the economy.

“Despite global economic challenges, job security and compensation remain strong for travel buyers,” said Craig Banikowski, GBTA Chairman.  “Employers increasingly recognize that business travel is a strategic investment in growth and rely on their travel management teams to ensure a good return on that investment.”

Key Findings:

Salary

Compensation levels for travel professionals tend to increase as total domestic travel spend increases.  In 2011 average compensation by title is as follows:

• Directors: 1% increase to $133,965
• Managers/ Supervisors: 11% increase to $101,250
• Coordinators/Specialists, Administrative Assistants: 5% increase to $62,514
• In addition, two out of five respondents (40%) say their employer offers a stock option plan.

Responsibilities

• Travel managers are increasingly responsible for global programs, with 69% of respondents indicating their program covers travelers based in other countries vs. 54% of respondents in 2010.
• The role of travel managers is multifaceted.  Classic duties include: negotiating with travel vendors (95%); administering corporate travel programs (91%); and developing and administering travel policy (84%).
• Buyers also have responsibilities in other areas such as technology, including evaluating and applying new technology to travel management (80%) and developing travel risk management/travel security programs (50%).

Professional Development

• Nearly 90% of respondents reported their convention attendance and professional association dues are benefits paid in full by their employer.
• Nearly eight out of ten (78%) said their employers also covered continuing education.

“Companies recognize that travel managers are the key to developing and implementing strategic travel management programs and are investing in their continued education,” Banikowski concluded. “Through professional development, business travel buyers will continue to improve their knowledge and skills, expanding their ability to support corporate travelers and help maximize the value of their companies’ travel programs.”

Related articles

• GBTA Acquires ITM’s Project Icarus to Create Travel Industry’s First Global Sustainability Program (mywelcometothecity.com)
• Global Business Travel Spending To Rise 9.2% in 2011 (mywelcometothecity.com)
• Orbitz and StarCite Launch Orbitz for Business Meetings (mywelcometothecity.com)
• New Research to Focus on Incentive From the Travel Participant Viewpoint (mywelcometothecity.com)
• U.S. Gains Travel Jobs in October (mpiweb.org)
• Spending on business travel to increase in 2012 (overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com)

Welcome To The City

What a difference less than a year can make. Unlike the start of 2011, the Incentive Research Foundation’s (IRF) latest survey of incentive industry trends finds planners struggling with the effects of an economy caught in a slow recovery.

According to IRF President Melissa Van Dyke, “ Survey participants demonstrated that their program’s sensitivity to internal pressures, competitor reactions and perceptions of extravagance were lower than in the spring and actually at a level equivalent to or below 2008. However, they cited the economy as having a significant impact on all incentive plans.”

Incentive travel programs were affected most from the economic outlook. “Respondents indicated they are less optimistic than they were in the Spring about their ability to plan and implement incentive travel programs and consider the economy as having a relatively negative impact on their ability to execute the programs they would like,” continued Van Dyke, citing the following results for travel programs:

• 62 percent said the economy is having a negative impact on program planning –numbers that haven’t been this high since July of 2009
• While 28 percent expected their budgets to decline, 45 percent anticipate no change, and 27 percent actually expect an increase
• More than half of the programs will only be providing air tickets and covering no incidental expenses
• 41 percent will be reducing the number of nights
• 40 percent  are shrinking ‘non-meal’ components

Destinations reflect economic realities with 83 percent of planners providing incentive travel to within the U.S., 55 percent going no further than the Caribbean, 52 percent including Europe, and 29 percent targeting Central America.  Less than 18 percent are considering destinations in Asia, South America, Africa or the Middle East.

“In the area of noncash merchandise incentive programs, there is less agreement on the impact of the economy in 2012. Twenty-four percent of respondents see a negative impact, 27 percent anticipate no effect and 25 percent expect a positive influence,” said Van Dyke. “In fact, 17 percent anticipate such positive changes as adding individual travel and/or increasing the value of merchandise or gift cards.” The survey revealed the types of merchandise include: gift cards (46 percent), clothing/apparel (43 percent), electronics (42 percent), luggage (34 percent) and jewelry/watches (33 percent).

“In general, respondents indicated that they anticipate most incentive program elements to remain essentially unchanged in the coming year, reflecting a slower return to growth than originally anticipated” Van Dyke concluded.

Related articles

• Incentives Survey: Cash vs Travel? (mpiweb.org)
• Facts to consider When Nowadays Incentive Travel Program (uclaislamicstudies.com)
• New Ignite Magazine Website for Incentive and Meeting Planning, Event Management and Corporate Travel (prweb.com)
• The Pros & Cons of Linking Sustainability Successes with Bonuses (greenbiz.com)
• New Research to Focus on Incentive From the Travel Participant Viewpoint (mywelcometothecity.com)
• Cash Incentives Not Always the Best Employee Motivator (mywelcometothecity.com)

Welcome To The City

From all of us here at Welcome To The City (WTTC.com) we wish you and your families the very best.

Thank you for all your support in 2011 and here’s to a very prosperous 2012.

Welcome To The City

At the recent IMEX America, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) delivered initial findings of Phase 1 of a three-year study on industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices that will provide guidance to meeting professionals on benchmarks and effective practices to consider in their event design. The comprehensive study, commissioned by MPI, creates an unprecedented global view of industry CSR by surveying the opinions of organizational leaders and exploring implementation practices of top venues, suppliers and consumers as well as aggregating critical information from hundreds of existing studies and white papers on CSR.

“CSR continues to be a focus of successful organizations and we must take the industry conversation beyond basic green efforts and into comprehensive planning and action,” said Bruce MacMillan, MPI president and CEO reiterating one of the four new rules of engagement discussed at the 2011 World Education Congress. “With these results, professionals are equipped to enact change based on the characteristics of their specific organization, impacting economic, social and environmental progress in their communities.”

Initial Findings by Leeds Metropolitan University Focus on Trends, Business Value

The Oct. 10 session led by Leeds Metropolitan University researcher James Musgrave was sponsored by MPI as the strategic partner and premier education provider of the inaugural IMEX America. Musgrave, a senior lecturer at the University, released the major findings in his presentation which included;

• third-party CSR accreditation is a growing trend;
• transparency and verifiability of CSR are increasingly important;
• lack of a clear definition of CSR causes fragmented implementation;
• meeting industry can help demonstrate commitment through “experiential CSR.”

In a review of more than 200 expert articles, case studies and websites academic researchers from the UK Centre for Events Management at Leeds Metropolitan University, The International Centre for Responsible Tourism and the Centre for Hospitality found a very fragmented definition of CSR, resulting in various methods of implementation globally. Regulatory codes of practice vary regionally with up to 300 different codes, adding to the clutter surrounding industry CSR. This creates an opportunity where industry rather than legislative organizations shape the CSR agenda.

The research suggests that for overarching best practice and to remove barriers to implementation, businesses and professionals should avoid a one-size-fits-all approach when considering resource allocation and tying CSR initiatives to business drivers. Utilizing this report enables meeting and event professionals to learn and determine whether their organization should employ a shareholder, stakeholder or societal approach to CSR based on their own CSR drivers. The research also outlines clearly three areas of implementation practices for all elements of social responsibility, and breaks them into “must”, “should” and “can” opportunities.

Phase two of the research includes in depth interviews and surveys, which will involve responses from all levels of experience and various industries. Data collected will be further analyzed and presented as a final report at the World Education Congress in St. Louis in July 2012. The process will continue for the remainder of the contracted three-year initiative.

“These indicative findings give an insight into the complexity of CSR, with the research happening right now worldwide, we will be able to see what industry pioneers consider will be the drivers, values and importance of CSR in the present and future,” said Musgrave.

There are plans for more sustainability implementation tools based on the research findings, MPI already has available a number of resource documents, programs and tools through a generous investment from the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). Currently, the Sustainable Event Measurement Tool (SEMT) is open to all suppliers and planners, where the aggregate data is used to benchmark progress in industry sustainability efforts. In addition to the SEMT, three new case studies bring insight from leading organizations on the implementation of sustainability practice will be released later this month. Access reports, the SEMT and more on the CSR Portal of mpiweb.org.

Related Articles:

• MPI Provides Suppliers Free Access to Sustainability Tool
• Fairmont Reduces CO2 Emissions By 8.4%
• GBTA Acquires ITM’s Project Icarus to Create Travel Industry’s First Global Sustainability Program
• IMEX America Exceeding Tradeshow Forecasts
• MPI Commissions Comprehensive Global CSR Study

Welcome To The City

The widely held belief that cash incentive awards are always the most effective employee motivator has been questioned in a new research review conducted by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and the Incentive Federation.  Examining a wide variety of studies in various industries, the audit found that non-cash awards can actually capture an employee’s imagination better than cash – thereby motivating them to increase performance. For business executives focused on the bottom line this study proves extremely valuable and forces the question, “Does your company have the right award mix in place?”

“When used properly non-cash awards, like merchandise and travel, have indeed proven to be more effective and therefore more efficient than traditional forms of compensation when used properly in a total-rewards mix,” said IRF President Melissa Van Dyke. “Our research review showed that non-cash’s influence over people can often be more powerful—and as such more profitable—than cash alternatives.”

Van Dyke said non-cash incentives such as travel, entertainment and merchandise, are being increasingly used by smart businesses as a way to control spending and motivate employees. “It is a real competitive tool in an economy defined by growing austerity,” says Van Dyke.

According to Incentive Federation Chairman Karen Renk, it is incumbent on the incentive and recognition community to teach the nuts and bolts of non-cash strategies to business leaders and demonstrate how they can serve in a game-changing way.

“The current business economy is challenging everyone,” said Renk. “Like any other business expense, the funding of reward programs attracts intense scrutiny from business leaders looking to slash costs. For that reason the importance of these findings cannot be over stressed:  travel and merchandise awards often produce greater bottom-line benefits than other incentive alternatives. It is nothing short of a game changer.”

Jeff Broudy, chairman of the IRF board of trustees, concurs. He said such measurable outcomes include increased sales, decreased waste and reduced absenteeism.

“Tangible awards capture employee attention,” Broudy said. “That attention yields better performance and drives several practical business outcomes. The old notion that cash is preferred by employees and is therefore always more impactful is not true. Businesses need to change with the times and their awards strategies must as well.”

The full findings are outlined in The State of Tangible Incentive Research: the Use of Tangible Incentives.

Related Articles:

• New Research to Focus on Incentive From the Travel Participant Viewpoint
• AMR – Socially Responsible Meetings & Incentives Announces Partnership with 1% for the Planet
• Outsourcing A Significant Trend Among Senior Meeting Managers

Welcome To The City

Going local is so 2009. Upping the ante when it comes to sustainable food sourcing is Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which has broadened the “go local” mantra by adopting local goats and chickens, allowed diners to catch their own dinner and gone out of its way to create homemade tofu. Long an advocate of green, fresh and healthy cuisine, the brand’s properties were some of the first to add onsite herb gardens and honeybee apiaries, and have pioneered myriad innovative projects that have brought farm and fork closer than ever.

Across the portfolio, Fairmont’s Green Cuisine program includes initiatives that cater to specific local and regional needs. In Quebec City, Executive Chef Jean Soulard of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac recently added five hens, who are the newest neighbors of the hotel’s resident honey bees. Chantecler hens, the only 100 percent Québec breed, have been carefully selected by Chef Soulard and have been placed in a coop equipped with a copper roof that matches the architecture of the hotel. Fed only organic grains, each hen produces about one egg per day with the collected eggs served up to guests dining within the hotel.

Fairmont Newport Beach in California is constantly in pursuit of the best local produce, and the recent adoption of seven goats is the hotel’s latest culinary initiative. In collaboration with Drake Farms Goat Dairy, where the female goats reside, the animals are cared for by dedicated farmers and staff and receive regular visits from the hotel’s Executive Chef. The farm uses the goats’ milk to produce organic and sustainable goat cheese, which the chef picks up and brings back to use in dishes for the restaurant and lounge as well for in-room guest amenities.  Fairmont Newport Beach follows in the footsteps of Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, which adopted two goats, affectionately named Blanche Neige (Snow White), in 2010.  While living at the local Fromagerie du Vieux St-François, the goats produce cheese for the menu at The Beaver Club, as well as for sale at the Fairmont Store.

At Fairmont Pittsburgh, Executive Chef Andrew Morrison of Habitat restaurant not only offers eggs from local heritage chickens, but has a side of grass-fed beef from Burns Angus Farm delivered each week so the culinary team can specially prepare every cut to their liking.   The team butchers their own steaks, roasts and ground beef, utilizing every piece of the meat down to the bones, which are used to make stock.  The hotel’s signature house-made soap is made using the leftover tallow (rendered beef fat) along with coconut oil, lye and natural scents.  Beef is a staple in Kenya, where Chef Hubert Des Marais continually seeks out the area’s best to help support local farmers & serve sustainable cuisine. Chef Hubert recently debuted a special “platinum steak” from local Morendat Farm, which comes from selecting and breeding particular Angus/crossbred steers just for Fairmont’s East Africa properties. The cows have a specially crafted 180-day feeding program and are taken through a process of dry ageing for approximately 21 days, which further enhances the delectable flavor and texture of the cuts.

Luxury Hotel Brand Brings Local to the Next Level By Adopting Livestock & More

Many of the brand’s properties, from China to Washington, D.C., have added honeybees to their onsite herb gardens or partnered with local parks and organizations to source local honey for cocktails and menu items.  Fairmont Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan, China has developed 200 acres as a private, organic herb and vegetable garden along the resort’s namesake lake, and has recently added 10 beehives housing 2,500 honeybees, which produce around 40 kg of honey in spring. In Seattle, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel plans to install five rooftop hives, while in nearby Victoria, The Fairmont Empress has installed 10 hives in the hotel’s Centennial Garden.   With close to 20 active Fairmont bee programs in place around the world, new hives have also recently been installed at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda, Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser and Fairmont Newport Beach in California.

Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York has cultivated rooftop beehives for a number of years, and has recently partnered with nearby Mill Street Brewery to create a unique honey beer, called “Royal Stinger”. To make the beer, brewers add the roof top honey at the end of the aging process, immediately before sealing it in kegs for distribution. But, Fairmont chefs are taking advantage of more than just local honey – in Vancouver, chefs at Fairmont Pacific Rim go the extra mile to make their very own tofu.  Homemade tofu allows the guests to taste the nuances and flavor profile of the soy bean, and is used in a dish with braised daikon, gai lan and shiitake mushrooms.

Some Fairmont properties have even taken their search for hyperlocal cuisine under the sea, such as Fairmont Battery Wharf, which offers access to the only lobster boat tour in Boston. Guests can arrange a private excursion with a Fairmont Chef aboard an authentic down-east style lobster boat to learn firsthand how to bait, drop, and haul in lobster traps.  After a day at sea, guests return with their catch and stop in at the hotel’s restaurant, Aragosta, where the Chef will prepare the lobster to their liking.

Related Articles:

• Fairmont Reduces CO2 Emissions By 8.4%
• Hotel Companies Demonstrate Leadership Through New Initiative
• Sustainable Seafood On The Menu

Welcome To The City

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) now provides free access to its Sustainability Event Measurement Tool (SEMT) to supplier organizations, a value for companies looking to proactively reach CSR-minded planners. Suppliers who upload their information to the system become part of the database event organizers around the world can search when determining the sustainability standards of venues.

“As an industry, we have a responsibility to design events that positively affect economic, social and environmental outcomes,” said Bruce MacMillan, MPI president and CEO. “Our members consider sustainability measurement an essential part of the meeting performance management process, and now suppliers have access to this valuable tool. Their inclusion will contribute to the aggregate data MPI collects in an effort to continually benchmark progress in CSR initiatives within our industry.”

New resource enhances planning, reporting, compliance for meeting professionals

The SEMT features include:

• Simplified user levels (basic and advanced)
• Planning questions informed by industry standards (APEX/ASTM, BS8901/ISO 20121 and the Global Reporting Initiative)
• Improved graphical report generating and export capabilities
• Measurement and reporting of an events water, waste, energy, paper, food and community impacts
• Conversion and calculation of carbon emissions using international standards and datasets
• Integration with other measurement systems such as IHG Green Engage

The SEMT, which launched in 2010, was developed by the Triple Bottom Line Alliance with a founding investment through the MPI Foundation by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and guided by MPI’s CSR advisory council with members from Oracle, the United Nations, IHG and Microsoft and in collaboration with the Green Meeting industry Council (GMIC).

“Companies are increasing their focus on sustainability compliance in procurement, said Paul Salinger, President of the GMIC and VP of Oracle Corporation. “Meeting professionals now have a tool based on global standards to measure and report on the environment and sustainability impacts (ESI). This saves time, reduces reputational risks and increases sustainability.”

In addition to free access to the SEMT for members, MPI provides content including case studies, articles, books and videos online through the Corporate Social Responsibility Content Portal. For access to the SEMT, visit www.mpi.sustainableeventtool.com.

Related Articles:

• Fairmont Reduces CO2 Emissions By 8.4%
• GBTA Acquires ITM’s Project Icarus to Create Travel Industry’s First Global Sustainability Program
• Saving Green by Going Green
• AMR – Socially Responsible Meetings & Incentives Announces Partnership with 1% for the Planet
• How Green are Your Meetings?

Welcome To The City